My Foundations of Yoga series is built for beginners! Welcome friends and future yogis. The Foundational series is Instructional should not feel intimidating. It will get you on your mat and into your body while also preparing you for public classes local yoga opportunities. Whether you are looking to lose weight, tone the body or create more flexibility this series (most importantly) will help you to FIND WHAT FEELS good. It will connect you to yourself and serve as an invitation back to your true self. I invite you to hop on the mat and play. Let the process be about exploration and not about doing it perfect. I encourage you to leave comments and let me know how your experiments go. Even just 1 minute a day goes a long way!

Start in mountain pose. Step your left foot back three to four feet and place it down at a 45-degree angle, so that your back left arch is in line with your right heel. Keep your chest and hips facing forward to the front of the mat. Bend your front knee to a 90-degree angle directly over the ankle, with your toes pointing forward. Don’t bend the knee past the ankle.

Lastly, your yoga clothes should be comfortable on and off the mat. Yogiwear is designed to fit comfortably around your skin, removing any distractions that your clothing might be creating. Our clothing is also designed to make any workout better and easier. The fabric is entirely breathable, so it won’t get in the way of any strenuous workout you have.

If you’re looking to try yoga for the first time, it might be less intimidating to try a few beginning yoga poses or yoga videos at home before going to a studio. In fact, Beachbody created its at-home yoga program, 3 Week Yoga Retreat, just for that reason! But before you dive into doing a full yoga video, it may also be helpful to get familiar with the most common yoga poses to learn proper form before starting your first yoga class. This way, you’re more likely to prevent injury and you won’t feel completely lost during a yoga session. Take a look at the yoga videos for beginners below to master 15 common yoga poses and begin to build the foundation of your yoga practice.
The Liforme Yoga Mat rolled out with a quietly satisfying plop and seemed firmly set in the ground, ready for action. We never had to worry about the mat sliding around on the floor or about sliding around on top of it ourselves. The Liforme mat has a natural, grippy rubber base and smooth, matte polyurethane top. It’s not so sticky it catches you while you’re trying to switch positions (like the Hugger Mugger Para Rubber did), but was grippy enough to keep us stable even during hot yoga sessions. One tester noted, “The sweater I got, the stickier the mat was.”
Challenging your muscle memory keeps your mind sharp! In this sequence, Health's contributing yoga editor Kristin McGee puts a new twist on the standard yoga flow, shaking up classic sequences so they feel brand-new. McGee says this routine is perfect for yogis of all skill levels. As a bonus, studies show that making your brain’s processing center work harder may help with long-term memory retention.
Yoga for Dummies is a six-part series of 10-minute videos. Put them together, and you’ve got a great starter yoga class that eases you into your practice. West’s channel has dozens of videos to choose from. I’d recommend starting with her beginner playlist, especially Namaste Episode 101. The 11 videos on the playlist are some of the best explanations of poses that I’ve come across. And West’s personable nature will keep you coming back.

Price is an important factor when considering a yoga mat. If you’re a new yogi, it might make sense to choose a more affordable mat with fewer frills. But it’s also good to consider longevity vs. initial cost. All of our top picks are durable and can withstand heavy use for many classes to come, so putting down more money upfront might help you avoid having to replace a cheaper mat later.

Stressed out. Tense. Crazed. If any of these words describe you, this routine’s a godsend. You’ll gently sway and flow your way from forward folds to low lunges to splits (only if you’re up for them)—all in just 30 minutes. With breezy and serene direction, Tara Stiles gives more advanced options for those who want them, but she’s really all about finding what works best for your body in that moment. (via CosmoBody)
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Stretching it out is the name of the game here—and that’s something both beginners and yoga pros can always use. Your instructor, Cole Chance, also gives detailed directions (including important reminders to be gentle) that help ensure you’re engaging the right muscles. After 30 minutes’ worth of hurts-so-good poses, you’ll feel more nimble and relaxed. (via Yoga TX)

I know what it means to find the perfect yoga mat. The one that’s not too soft but not too firm, not too sticky but not too slippery, not too heavy but not going to fall apart after a couple practices either. I know how good it feels when you finally step onto The One, and I know just how elusive that perfect combination can be. That’s why, since founding DoYogaWithMe, I have been on a quest to find the world’s best yoga mats, test them, and report back to aid you on your personal quest.

On an inhale, raise your arms straight up above your head and bring your palms together. Bend your knees slightly, and on the exhale, hinge at your hips to fold forward, lengthening your spine the whole way down as you reach for the floor. Bring either your fingertips or palms to the floor, fingers in line with your toes. Slowly straighten your legs as much as you can without straining. Shift the weight toward your toes. Straighten your arms and lift your chest away from your thighs to make a flat back.

Specifically designed for pregnant ladies (like Kristoffer herself!), this sequence helps define arms and open the shoulders to counteract any hunching that might occur as a result of carrying extra weight. Similar to a regular flow class, it involves poses like lunges, downward-facing dog, and chaturanga (modified with your bump in mind). Be sure to talk to your doc first before attempting. (via Qinetic Live)
The Aurorae Synergy specializes in providing a non-slip surface during hot yoga. The mat’s top layer is a non-slip, ultra-absorbent microfiber towel that is bonded to a 5mm-thick PER (Polymer Environmental Resin) yoga mat. It is excellent at providing grip, but that grip is limited to when it is wet.This microfiber side provides excellent grip when wet, but is actually quite slick when dry. Of course, you can use the PER side of the mat for dry classes and the towel side when it gets sweaty. The mat is also lightweight, thick enough to provide reasonable support and good value for the money.
Feeling overwhelmed? Yoga can help you take a step back from your busy schedule and find balance. A stressed-out mind often means a tense body (think: a clenched jaw, a stiff neck), so a calming yoga flow can give you a sense of relief both inside and out. Clinical therapist and yoga instructor Lauren Taus leads the way in this short but restorative flow, which is designed to give you an opportunity slow down and de-stress.
This yoga video helps us see how authoritarianism slips into our world through our communities. It's a longer yoga set, but will help you understand and work with the authoritarian personality traits in you or your community. This video relies on the work of John Elmore, who can be heard discussing Passive Authoritarianism here: https://kpfa.org/episode/against-the-grain-june-4-2018/ *This video comes with free access to our introduction and warm-up videos.
Established in 2008 by Kelly Kolterman, the SoCal inspired apparel brand commits to following ethical and responsible business practices and manufacturing. Additionally, Jala Clothing partners with Yoga Gives Back, a non-profit organization helping mothers in India start their own businesses and send their children to school. Their sizes range from women’s XS to L.